Goodbye dear Mosta Ficus trees, which have adorned Mosta square for at least 50 years.
You were victims of yet another environmental crime.
You were victims of yet another horrendous urban murder.
You were victims of yet another green murder.
And yet, the government and MEPs have embraced the green agenda for you dear people. While they kill trees, turning your country into a smart city, the green agenda will turn into a green murder for all of you.
“Environmentalist and Żebbuġ local councillor Steve Zammit Lupi meanwhile said that all Mosta Local Council members had agreed to remove the trees.” Bring in a sixteen-year-old, they said.
“In a statement, ERA said Ficus trees are a hardy species that “normally survive transplanting” which is done at the appropriate time of the year: between November and February.” Just because usually they survive if uprooted during this time, it doesn’t mean it is right to remove them. The trees belonged to Malta and the Maltese nation so the final say should have been with the people!
It added that “since winter has not yet set in, roosting birds will be able to find alternative roosting trees until the new ones grow enough to have a hosting canopy.” Tell it to the birds!
Everyone can relax! Can’t you see that they would be successfully re-planted and replaced by indigenous tree; twice as many trees will be planted as tiny saplings that will soon perish in the summer heat.
Everyone can relax! Alternatively, they will simply plant some saplings in pots, which will be extremely expensive for you dear tax payer but won’t last a single summer.
Everyone can relax! Just wait for summer and the brutal temperatures that will arrive, forcing you to wait in the intense heat. But relax. You can read a book, she said. I am sure you will miss the cool shade that the trees once offered during the sweltering summer months, which only serves to highlight how unimportant the environment is to this government. But wait. Once you start paying taxes, you will fix the climate and the trees will be back. After all, Dr. Alfred Sant is all out trumpeting the so-called climate crisis.
Everyone can relax! The sound of birds chirping as they fly in to roost each evening flows in unison with the trees because those who were put in charge to take the decisions for you, prefer the clink of coins to the chirping of birds! But if you want to enjoy birds, the only ones you will enjoy are those with gunshot holes in them. Bird hunting is culture, they said.
Everyone can relax! NGO Malta Ranger Unit “called on the Environment Minister Miriam Dalli to safeguard the trees: ‘protecting the environment we already have should always have a priority over the manmade greening projects'”. And yet, your Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, cares more about having you purchase electric cars, validating and endorsing Agenda 2030. Uprooting trees are not part of taking care of the environment, no? Purchasing electric cars is.
Goodbye dear Mosta Ficus trees.
Iż-Żabra ta’ Victor Fenech
Is-siġra tal-misraħ sal-bieraħ kienet tfakkarni fir-riti antiki tal-mara fertili qed tongħos ħedlija fuq ħaġra godlija. Tfakkarni f’disinji ta’ dell u ta’ dija, ta’ lwien fantasija. Tbenninni ġo nieqa ta’ friegħi u friegħ, twennisni ġo wejla ta’ wens u mistrieħ… Imbagħad ġewwa l-misraħ ilbieraħ, bi srieraq u slielem armati, ġew erba’ pirati. U dritt marru ħdejha u lbiesha ċarrtulha/qaċċtulha jdejha, u xagħarha minn rasha, sa waslu sa ngħasha. U s-siġra la tniffset, protesta la lissnet la karba ta’ wġigħ.
U telqu l-pirati bis-srieraq u s-slielem. U s-siġra sserrata ħallewha waħedha titniegħed fl-ispazju ta’ misraħ li krieh. U ġew filgħaxija l-għasafar u stagħġbu b’dil-ħerba qatigħ, u wħud minnhom bkew. U telqu ħosbiena fuq ġwienaħ iċ-ċomb f’kenn ieħor ifittxu dil-ħerba jinsew. U ruħi, tithenna mdorrija b’għanjiethom mis-siġra kennija, ħassejtha sseħibhom f’titjir(a)gunija.
U baqa’ ġo moħħi l-lejl kollu, bla friegħi, bla weraq, bla tjur u bla kenn, zokk oħxon ġo misraħ iqattar id-demm.